Using Standardized Patients to Foster Inclusive Healthcare

Nurturing an inclusive healthcare system 

Acknowledging the importance of creating and nurturing a healthcare system that values inclusive, equitable patient care, the Simulation Center's Standardized Patient (SP) Program has been a key component in a number of initiatives over the past year.

Cognitive Assessment Training with LEP Patients 

Acknowledging negative variations in recovery outcomes after anesthesia for patients with Limited English Proficiency, the Simulation Center worked with Dr. Cecilia Canales to develop a VR Simulation using Standardized Patients. The purpose was to create a training program for nurses, residents, and physicians on how to do cognitive assessments in different languages through the use of an interpreter.

Narrative Medicine Explores Medical Ethics, Racism, and Structural Inequities 

Using professional actors, the Sim Center provided a staged reading of Miss Evers’ Boys, a play that tells the story of the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment which jeopardized the health of 400 black men without their knowledge or consent. The play was performed twice, once for graduating medical students as the final academic event during Capstone week and a second time for the general public. The staged reading was directed by SP Educator Chiquita Melvin who also served as one of the actors.

Black Maternal Healthcare InSitu Simulation 

Recognizing the enormous disparity in maternal deaths among Black women vs. non-Black women (more than a 4:1 ratio in 2023), the Sim Center developed an in-situ sim that brings together Ob-Gyn residents, Anesthesia residents and Labor & Delivery nurses to care for a pregnant Black person, played by an SP. The sim includes a debrief, drawing on perspectives of the participants, particularly regarding health equity. 

Feedback from learners has been overwhelmingly positive. ““One of the best sims to date!” “ "So good to combine the acute medical scenario with a challenging patient interaction, pushing us to be patient centered even in time pressured situations.” Participants have indicated the sim encouraged them to be more mindful of building rapport, expressing empathy, and displaying empathy.